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Ethics Panel Admonishes Senator Burris

By Carl Hulse November 20, 2009 12:19 pmNovember 20, 2009 12:19 pm

Updated: The Senate ethics committee on Friday issued a sternly worded rebuke to Senator Roland Burris of Illinois, saying he had made misleading and inaccurate statements about the circumstances surrounding his appointment by disgraced Governor Rod Blagojevich. But it made no recommendation for punishment.

Concluding an investigation into whether Mr. Burris lied about his contacts with associates of the governor, who was later forced from office, the panel issued Mr. Burris a letter of admonishment and said he had been less than candid in his statements and had an inappropriate telephone call with the governor’s brother, Robert.

“While the committee did not find that the evidence before it supported any actionable violations of law, senators must meet a much higher standard of conduct,” said the letter from the panel, which also found that Mr. Burris’s actions and statements “reflected unfavorably on the Senate.”

In his own statement, Mr. Burris, who has announced he will not seek election to the seat next year, said he was gratified the investigation was over and that he looked forward to finishing his term.

“I am pleased that after numerous investigations, this matter has finally come to a close,” the senator said. “I thank the members of the Senate ethics committee for their fair and thorough review of this matter, and now look forward to continuing the important work ahead on behalf of the people of Illinois.”

The statement from the senator’s office carried a headline noting that Mr. Burris was “cleared of legal wrongdoing” by the panel. But the tone of the ethics panel admonishment made clear that his colleagues were disturbed by conduct related to his disputed appointment in January to the seat vacated by President Obama before assuming the presidency.

“The committee found that you should have known that you were providing incorrect, inconsistent, misleading or incomplete information to the public, the Senate, and those conducting legitimate inquiries into your appointment to the Senate,” the letter said.

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